MART International Exhibitions: 2009 - 2016. Bernard O’Rourke Sept 2016 As an artist-led, self-sustaining organisation for the development and promotion of contemporary art, MART have always had ambitions of connecting with an international audience, rather than limiting their sights to the development of art within Ireland. A key part of MART’s ethos is their role in finding audiences for exhibitions of contemporary, non-traditional art works, frequently doing so in a way that encourages engagement with the work on display. Often, this has involved inviting audiences to interact with the exhibition. As the organisation grew, MART developed this curatorial ethos in galleries in the UK, across Europe, the USA and Japan to promote contemporary Irish artists to an international audience. MART’s first international exhibition came in June 2009, when eight of the fledgeling organisation’s artists showcased their work with a group show in London’s Shunt. Adam Gibney, Natalie Zervou, Joan Healy, Matthew Nevin, Ciara Scanlan, Ivan Twohig, 1